Give Kids the Gift of Travel

I am a firm believer in traveling with kids, and I constantly urge people to get over their fears about hitting the road (or plane, train or boat) with little ones.

Join the already-lively discussion on traveling with kids. What's your philosophy when it comes to traveling with kids?

As Jennifer says, "For me, where I'm traveling determines whether the kids come with. For example, weekend trips to places less than a few hours away, definitely. But a 13-hour flight to the Mediterranean? Forget it."

Jodi notes, "Taking a 15-month old to Ireland wasn't terrible. We took a nonstop evening flight to get there. That way, he fell asleep naturally during the plane ride. The time change was difficult but we have great memories of playing in bed, eating snacks and watching really bad Irish midnight tv!"

According to Desertblue, "My parents took me on lots of camping trips as a child, and I always got something enjoyable out of that. Some of my earliest memories I can recall are on those trips. Things I remember - sleeping in a tent, my father throwing logs into the lake for the dog to retrieve, my mom cooking in the pickup camper, me chasing ducks and being chased by them, and driving while sitting on top of the camper's bed, over the cab, and waving at people driving by. Them waving back. These are all memories from under ten."

What do you think? Is it important to travel with kids? What are your fondest childhood travel memories? Do you get the chance to travel with your children as much as you'd like?